08 May 2011

My Bike Was Stolen

Saturday morning, 11:30. Came out of the flat with the kids, heading for a toy store to buy a present that Felix would then take to a birthday party. Lulu-Sophia and I would then run some errands and hang out in the backyard.

All of this would happen with my red Bullitt cargo bike. Which, I discovered, wasn't where I parked it.

First thought... "Hmm, I thought I parked it there..."Second thought... "Maybe I parked it in the other spot..."Third thought, gradual realisation... "It's been nicked..."

Not a foreign line of thought. Hell, I've had loads of bikes stolen before. But the fourth thought really says all about the role of the bicycle in Copenhagen - and in my life:

"Shit... how I am going to get around today?!"

Standing there with two kids - Felix was on his own bike - with things to do, places to go and stuff to buy and the cargo bike rug was pulled out from beneath me. My uattainable schedule that day flashed before my eyes, followed by the following days.

Rather telling that all the practical uses for my missing bike were the primary thoughts filling my head. Only after a while I said to the kids... "Damn... I really liked that bike."

Cue a couple of minutes of restless, confused lingering on the sidewalk. Logistical solutions presenting themselves. I called the kids' mum to borrow her cargo bike. In conversation with her I realised we could still get Felix to his birthday party on time. So off we walked. Legs are our alternative transport in this neighbourhood.

I still didn't have any way of getting Lulu-Sophia around after that. My Velorbis was loaned out to a friend and it was rigged with a bulldog seat. I called him and he was kind enough to hurry over with the bike so I could transport The Girl, like we've done before:There's a lot of bike theft in a mainstream bicycle culture. Such is life. Where cargo bikes are concerned, however, it's not intoxicated fellow citizens needing a bike right then and there who take it. It's more organised. There's big money in cargo bikes. So much so that backyards are infiltrated in the search for them.The funny thing is that whoever nicked it probably doesn't realise that it's the most famous Bullitt in Copenhagen. Not least because I blog about it often. That just make it possible to spot it on the streets.

If you spot it, I'm really looking forward to hearing about it. There are loads of Bullitts on the streets of Copenhagen, but not many red ones. It's also quite unique for a Red Bullitt.

- It's red with a Brooks saddle and handlebars grips.- The red side panels are quite rare.- There is a black cover on the cargo box.- It has a foldable seat in the box.- On the cross bar there is a seat for the kids.- Which is on top of a Cycle Chic sticker.

- On the right side there is an FC St. Pauli sticker (as above) and a "Du må gerne køre uden cykelhjelm" sticker.On the right side there is a I Bike CPH sticker. Sure, I'm sure all these stickers will get peeled off, but... what makes it rather unique is that the Bullitt logo on the sides - at the bottom - is in a yellowish colour, whereas many Red Bullitts have white lettering. This is quite an important detail in recognising it.

There is also a secret mark underneath the bike that I'll be able to recognise.

If anyone here in Copenhagen spots it, or sees it for sale, please let me know. Let's see if - against all my expectations - this social media lark can help me get the bike back. :-) Thanks in advance for any help.Hvis du bor i KBH/FRB og ser cyklen send gerne en sms til 26259726.

Part of being a crime overlord is that he didn't have to get his own hands dirty actually stealing bikes. His minions did that.

Until one fine day the Toronto Police's Bike Theft Unit was staking out one of the "bait bikes" they set out for thieves to steal. Lo and behold, Mr. Kenk was providing some on-the-job training in the fine art of bike theft to one of his newly-recruited gangsters. Got him!

With the resulting search warrants, the police recovered over 3,000 stolen bicycles. Yes, that's three thousand stolen bicycles. The police had to rent a warehouse to put them all on display for people to come to identify and recover their stolen bikes.

The Rat Bastards may feel ironic and return the bike when they find out who they stole it from. Weirder things have happened. I can attest on two occasions where stolen bikes were brought back into my possession by luck and pluck. Just be forewarned, you will have to be as clever as the thief if and when the time comes when you take it back.

Just last week was the first time I've noticed someone had moved my bike. I've got one of those rear wheel locks that makes the bike unridable, but does not prevent it from being carried off. Since they're rare here in the States, I guess someone saw an unattached bike with nifty panniers and thought they'd take it (for a spin?). The bike shop guys had warned me of this possibility, but I think the weight of the whole thing, and the very public setting, saved me from your fate.

People, please lock your bike with the frame to a unmovable object such as a light pole or street sign using a sturdy u-lock (brands: kryptonite, ABUS). Even if you just head into a shop for a couple minutes or you keep your bike in your backyard. It makes me sad each time I hear about people getting their bikes stolen. Believe me, if you lock your bike correctly with a study u-lcok, the chance of it getting stolen is near zero. If you lock it with a cable lock or a simple wheel block, its just a matter of time ....

Very annoying!I have heard that one way they operate is that they first take a picture of the bike, if they have observed it parked somewhere on daily basis. Then they sell it. They pick it up just before the actual sale, and the if the buyer checks with the police if it has been stolen, the theft has naturally not been recorded yet. (I think it takes a couple of days before it is in the police database).

Anyway Mikael, now you have the priviledge of choosing a color for your third Bullit. What will it be???

..which gets me to thinking... insurance is big business over here, and bike insurance is no exception. Is it the same in CPH? Over here we have to use specific kinds of locks (and usually a couple of them) in order for the insurance to be valid, which kind of negates being able to use a bike practically anyway. Culture of fear, or worth while safety net I wonder?

Kilometres cycled by Copenhageners so far today

Copenhagenize.com is the blog of Copenhagenize Design Company. Online since 2007 and highlighting the cycling life in Copenhagen and around the world.

40 years ago Copenhagen was just as car-clogged as anywhere else but now 41% of the population arriving at work or education do so on bicycles, from all over the Metro area. 55% of Copenhageners themselves use bicycles each day. They all use over 1000 km of bicycle lanes in Greater Copenhagen for their journeys. Copenhagenizing is possible anywhere.